As machinery manufacturers have stepped up in compliance with the phases of engine emission standards they’ve rolled out new models with the advanced engines. As new levels of engine refinement are brought to market, the machines powered by them soon follow.

In 2011, Tier 4 Interim will come into effect. In the ag market, Cummins, John Deere, and Sisu Power have laid out how they’ll reach Interim Tier 4 standards, which are varying engine platforms and technologies.

Sisu will be implementing Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) as its platform to achieve Tier 4, and so far is the only engine manufacturer in the ag market to announce its use of SCR. AGCO says these engines will provide improved fuel efficiency, a less complex engine design, and the necessary reduction in emissions.

Their engine design relies on a SCR catalytic convertor to be supplied urea by an auxiliary tank. In the SCR catalytic convertor, the ammonia reacts with nitrogen oxides in the engine exhaust, which results in nitrogen and water being the final emissions. On top of current standards, Tier 4 Interim mandates there must be a 90% reduction in diesel particulates and a 50% reduction in nitrogen oxides.

And we got additional confirmation of the yet-to-be released tractor lines in this past week’s conference call hosted by AGCO. The company says they plan on releasing a North American version of the tractors with AGCO, Challenger and Massey Ferguson brands sometime in early 2009.

Stay tuned for more machines outfitted with Tier 4 Interim engines. And we’ll keep you posted about what using an engine employing SCR means to you. As we approach even stricter emission standards with Tier 4 Final in 2014, manufacturers have openly said they are keeping SCR in their testing programs.